The present invention relates generally to reforming of end portions of tubes and, in a preferred embodiment thereof, more particularly provides an automated tube reforming apparatus and associated methods of manufacturing.
The reforming of end portions of tubes is well known in the art. In particular, where a tube is made of a thermoplastic material, it is well known to reform an end portion of the tube by heating the end portion to an elevated temperature and then reforming the end portion by imparting a desired shaped to it using a die or mating dies.
Disclosures of tube reforming apparatus and methods may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,509,252 to Baehr; 3,047,910 to Downs; 3,557,278 to Kuhlemann; 3,823,216 to Petzetakis; 3,899,565 to de Putter et al.; 4,345,956 to Cox et al.; 3,418,409 to Hesse et al.; 4,083,918 to Ronden et al.; 5,244,622 to Rumberger et al.; 4,219,525 to Greenspan; 3,986,810 to La Branch et al.; 4,404,159 to McFarlane; 4,028,037 to Dawson; 3,755,524 to McKay; 3,672,804 to Dalik; and 4,316,870, 4,446,084, and 4,525,136 to Rowley. However, none of these U.S. patents disclose a satisfactory method of automating a tube reforming process so that the process may be economically and safely carried out at a high rate of production.
Where heated air is used to heat tube end portions, high rates of production require that the tube end portions be quickly heated to a consistent, uniform, and reproducible desired temperature prior to reforming the tube end portions. Precise control of tube heating during an end portion reforming process is not disclosed in any of the above listed U.S. patents. Furthermore, none of the above listed U.S. patents discloses a satisfactory method of simultaneously heating multiple tube end portions to a desired temperature using heated air.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that it would be quite desirable to provide an automated tube reforming apparatus which permits multiple tube end portions to be quickly and consistently heated to an elevated temperature utilizing heated air, which is capable of simultaneously reforming multiple heated tube end portions, and which permits such operations to be accomplished at a high rate of production. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide such an automated tube reforming apparatus and associated methods of manufacturing.